FEATURE FILM JURY

Jury President

Jean-Claude Lord

DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER, EDITOR AND PRODUCER

His body of work can easily be described as being a good mix of though inducing ideas and entertainment, which makes him one of the most renowned celebrities of Québec cinema. Following his first commercial success for the film LES COLOMBES in 1972, he directed BINGO (1974), the first feature film inspired by the events of the October crisis, which was also warmly received by the public. His 1976 film, PARLEZ-NOUS D’AMOUR (presented as part of this year’s edition of the festival), based on a screenplay by Michel Tremblay offers a bitter outlook of Québec showbiz, while PANIQUE (1977) is a thriller about industrial pollution. He is also known outside of Québec for his cult films VISITING HOURS (1981) and MINDFIELD (1988). Back home, he revolutionized Québec-made television series with LANCE ET COMPTE, DIVA and JASMINE, and he directed LA GRENOUILLE ET LA BALEINE, a film from the youth series Contes pour tous. His book, “Parfaitement Imparfait” was recently published by Libre Expression.

Don Lobel

PRODUCER, PROGRAMMER

Don Lobel is a veteran of the Canadian film scene. One of his earliest childhood memories is that of his mother giving him a toy gun which could project film clips on his bedroom wall. After graduating from McGill, Don was a projectionist and film researcher, and started his first film festival. He remembers showing YELLOW SUBMARINE and drinking whisky with John Grierson. He taught film at Vanier for longer than he cares to admit. In 1988 he opened the Rialto cinema with the premier of TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL and later owned and programmed the Cinema du Parc (1999-2006). Don was also a programmer of the Montreal Festival of New Cinema (2002-2006) and the director of film programming for Just For Laughs (2002-2004). Now he is making documentary films as the associate producer of NOLLYWOOD BABYLON, which premiered at Sundance 2009, and the creative producer of KIVALINA VS EXXON (2010), currently in production.

Ian Lauzon

DIRECTOR AND SCREENWRITER

Ian Lauzon completed his studies in literature at the Université de Montréal and wrote many short and feature-length scripts, stage plays, radio plays and documentaries. He won the Paul-Gilson prize in Bruxelles in 1995 for DESCENTE AUX ENCHÈRES, and the Best Writing prize from the Toronto Hot Docs for the film CROIRE in 1999. Working as a screenwriter and a director (BOBBY, CONFESSION DES MASQUES), Lauzon also co-wrote, with Émile Gaudreault, the comedy DE PÈRE EN FLIC, which turned out to be one of the biggest successes of Quebec cinema. In addition to writing the script for the biopic PICHÉ : ENTRE CIEL ET TERRE (directed by Sylvain Archambault, 2010) about Captain Robert Piché, Ian also wrote CABOTINS (directed by Alain Desrochers), which will be released this summer.

Pawa Up First

MUSIC BAND

While trying to define the musical genre of this band, cinematic is the first word that comes to mind. Inspired by celebrated film composers (Ennio Morricone, Philip Glass, Angelo Badalamenti and Riyuichi Sakamoto) as well as hip-hop, dub and experimental rock, Serge Nakauchi Pelletier decided to create Pawa Up First. He succeeded in blending all these influences in his compositions (he is the main composer) while also showing the versatility of his talent by playing multiple instruments. In 2004, what started as a simple solo studio project became a ‘real’ band when bassist Mathieu Pontbriand joined him and they started working on the first Pawa Up First album titled “The Scenario “. The album was released by Dare To Care Records, which also released the group’s second album, “Introducing New Details” in 2006. 2009 marked the completion of the band’s third album, “The Outcome”, which is heavily inspired by film scores.

Éric Tessier

FILMMAKER

Passionate about filmmaking, he shot his first Super-8 film when he was 13. He started his career by directing publicities and short films, including VIENS DEHORS! which won numerous prizes including the Fantasia Festival Public’s Choice prize in 1999. In 2000, he shot four episodes of the series DEUX FRÈRES before directing two documentaries on the Cirque du Soleil the following year. He followed the success of his first feature film, SUR LE SEUIL (2003), with VENDUS (2004) and “Le cœur à l’ouvrage” an episode of the TV series LA CHAMBRE NO 13, written by Patrick Senécal. Since 2003, he also directed the series 3 X RIEN as well as RUMOURS and SOPHIE for CBC. His third feature film, 5150 RUE DES ORMES, was released in 2009 and won the 2010 Public’s choice prize of the Festival international du film fantastique de Gérardmer.

FIRST FEATURE JURY

Jury President

Steven Severin

MUSICIAN, COMPOSER

Steven Severin founded the influential and audacious punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees with the iconic Siouxsie Sioux in 1976. Once known primarily as a bassist and lyricist, in the decade and a half since the breakup of the Banshees, Severin has followed his musical muse in many directions, working with such counter-culture luminaries such as Alan Moore, the Tiger Lillies, Andrew Liles and Jarboe as well as Canadian dance troupe Holy Body Tattoo. Known for weaving intense and dark musical tapestries, his most recent work has consisted largely of film scores, including several for silent cinema. In his debut Fantasia appearance, along with heading this jury, Severin will perform his score live to a screening of Jean Cocteau’s avant-garde work LE SANG D’UN POETE (1930).

Susan Curran

DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS, ANCHOR BAY CANADA

Susan Curran has experienced the entertainment business from a variety of perspectives. She began as a performer, graduating from the Etobicoke School of the Arts, subsequently spending time at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Thereafter, she took an artist support role with Sharon, Lois and Bram (Elephant Records) at the height of their success, touring North America in the process. In the two decades since, she has worked in various roles for a wide range of companies including Tower Records, BMG, Sony Wonder and Universal Music. This has lead to her current executive position as Director of Marketing/Acquisitions for Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada, which is known for its support of genre films. Through all of this, Susan has remained a fan. She is a champion of new talent, enjoying the energy and ingenuity of the creative folks she meets in the independent film community.

Brad Miska

CO-FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BLOODY-DISGUSTING.COM

Brad Miska is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Bloody-Disgusting.com. His website is ranked by Alexa as the top horror website in the world. A true fan of the horror genre, Brad launched Bloody-Disgusting.com in 2001. Today, Bloody-Disgusting.com is a key online community for horror fans across the globe, was picked as one of Entertainment Weekly’s “Best of the Web 2007” and has been featured numerous times of G4TV’s “Attack of the Show.” Brad has been featured in G4TV’s Eli Roth episode of “Icons”, and interviewed for HIS NAME WAS JASON and the forthcoming 50 BEST HORROR FILMS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN, among numerous others. Brad is also the associate producer on A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE, directed by Adam Wingard and starring A.J. Bowen, Amy Seimetz and Joe Swanberg.

Tom Quinn

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MAGNOLIA PICTURES

Tom Quinn has been at Magnolia Pictures almost seven years, where he’s currently SVP. He’s responsible for creating Magnet Releasing, Magnolia’s genre arm, the Six Shooter Series, as well as the annual Oscar Shorts Program. He’s acquired over 100 films including ONG BAK, MAN ON WIRE, PULSE, WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN, the PUSHER trilogy, THE HOST, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN and WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED. His recent acquisitions include FREAKONOMICS, CENTURION, I AM LOVE, MONSTERS and FOOD INC. His productions include OUTRAGE, COCAINE COWBOYS 2, and SPLINTER. Quinn is also a film festival programmer, having worked for Atlanta, Woodstock, and a festival he was instrumental in creating, ActionFest, which blew minds across the universe when it launched in North Carolina earlier this year.

Basil Tsiokos

FILM PRODUCER, FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER, JOURNALIST, INDIEWIRE

Basil Tsiokos has been a Programming Associate for Sundance since 2005. He also consults for film festivals and filmmakers, providing guest programming, project feedback, and festival and promotional strategies. He co-produced the feature documentary THE CANAL STREET MADAM (world premiere, SXSW 2010 competition). Basil was the Executive and Artistic Director of NewFest: The NY LGBT Film Festival between 1996 and 2008. He has served on festival juries including the Atlanta Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, Berlinale, Cleveland International Film Festival, Full Frame, Outfest, SXSW, and Starz Denver Film Festival. His writing appears on indieWIRE.com, and he can be found on Twitter as @1basil1 offering advice and information to filmmakers. Basil is a graduate of Stanford University (BA) and New York University (MA).

ANIMATION JURY

Jury President

Pierre Hébert

PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, ACTOR, SCREENWRITER AND COMPOSER

Pierre Hébert, winner of the 2004 Albert-Tessier cinema prize, is born in Montreal on January 19th, 1944. He pursued his studies in the field of anthropology at the Université de Montréal in 1962 while also working as a visual artist and independent animation filmmaker. Following a decisive meeting in 1962 with Norman McLaren, who encouraged him to experiment with animation by engraving directly on film, he became, from 1964 to 1967, a regular at l’Atelier libre de recherche graphique, where he learned all about this art. This technique will be the main focus of his work until 1999. From 1965 until 1999, Pierre Hébert worked for the National Film Board of Canada before quitting the NFB to become an independent artist and filmmaker. Since 1982, he has been participating in many multidisciplinary projects with musicians, choreographers and writers. In 1986, he invented a new kind of performance (improvised animation by engraving on film in front of a live audience), which allowed him to perform in many countries.

Élaine Dallaire

ANIMATOR, JOURNALIST AND PRODUCER

A native of Lac St-Jean, Élène Dallaire has been working in the animated cinema industry since the ’80s, following studies at Concordia University and UQAM. After working on many projects as a colourist, animator, assistant director and production coordinator and manager, she started producing short animated films. She worked for the NFB, Ciné-Clic and took an active part in productions from Vivatoon, Motion International, Vox Populi and Carpediem. She also manages a small independent production company along with her collaborator Pierre Trudeau. In addition to this, she participates to many worldwide films festivals, gives workshops, sits on different juries and collaborates to the magazine Séquences. In 2008, she produced the film LES ANGES DÉCHETS (directed by Pierre Trudeau) which has screened around the world.

Marco de Blois

PROGRAMMER-ANIMATION CURATOR AT THE CINÉMATHÈQUE QUÉBÉCOISE

Born in Tracy, Québec, in 1964, Marco de Blois studied cinema at the Université de Montréal and has been working at the Cinémathèque québécoise since 1999. His work includes finding new additions to the different film and artefact collections as well as promoting animation by organizing retrospective screenings, thematic programs and exhibitions. He handles the programming of the annual “Les Sommets du cinéma d’animation” festival, which takes place at the Cinémathèque and confirms the importance of Montreal in the animation world in addition to being an essential event for any animation fan. He is also an active member of “24 images” magazine’s writing team and has published many articles on animated and American cinema. He has contributed to Marcel Jean’s book “Quand le cinéma d’animation rencontre le vivant,” which also includes texts by Pierre Hébert, and teaches the history of film animation at Concordia University.

Claude Robinson

CREATOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

Drawing has always been part of Claude Robinson’s life, allowing him to find a graphic artist job in a print shop when he was very young. In 1972, when he was 20, he left for Europe with $90 in his pocket and ended up working for well-known European companies as a graphic designer. When he returned to Montreal in 1975, he created Les Productions Nilem, which allowed him to work in the animation and advertising industries as art director, idea man, director and project manager. Known for his creativity and unique style, he created concepts that left an important imprint on Quebec’s advertising world and made him an important figure. His work as part of Nilem and Virtuel Création, his graphic arts firm, allowed him to finance the development of an important project, “Les Aventures de Robinson Curiosite sur son île curieuse,” an educational and rewarding series for children. Most people know about the legal saga that followed (ROBINSON SUCROË from CINAR), which in the end confirmed not only Robinson’s talent and his importance as a creator but his knack for legal matters.

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY

Jury President

Maurice G. Dantec

WRITER

Born in Grenoble in 1959, Maurice Georges Dantec developed a fascination for unconventional American literature (noir fiction, psychedelic writings, science fiction) at a very young age. In 1993, Gallimard published “La Sirène Rouge,” of which a film adaptation was released in 2002. Halfway between a detective novel and a serial, this first book was critically acclaimed and quickly became a classic. His following book, “Les Racines du Mal” (1995), established his place as leader of the new wave of detective novels. He focused on science fiction for his third publication, “Babylon Babies” (1999), which was adapted for the screen by Mathieu Kassovitz in 2008. He has lived in Montreal since 1998 and defines himself as a French-speaking North American writer—Dantec has sold over two million books worldwide. Albin Michel published his latest book, “Métacortex,” this year.

Jean-François Caissy

FILMMAKER

Native of St-Omer, Jean-François Caissy studied photography at Cégep de Matane (1998) and participated in numerous group exhibits, which allowed him to showcase his work at different art galleries and museums around the world. He also developed a passion for cinema, which led him to direct his first film, the critically acclaimed documentary feature LA SAISON DES AMOURS (2005). As an artist-in-residence for Films de L’Autre, he produced his second documentary feature, LA BELLE VISITE (2009) which was selected as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. The film also received the Best Emerging Documentary jury prize during the 28th edition of the Rendez-vous du cinéma Québécois. Jean-François Caissy lives in Montreal and is currently working on a new documentary project as well as a feature-length fiction script.

Kurt Halfyard

FILM CRITIC

A Toronto-based writer who moonlights as a Research Scientist (or wait, is it the other way around), Kurt has been attending Canadian film festivals for well past a decade and writing about genre films (from the arthouse to the grindhouse) for Twitchfilm since a hairs-breadth shy of its inception. He also writes and podcasts for Rowthree.com and has interviewed a diverse array of filmmakers, from Fabrice Du Welz to Guy Maddin, Bruce McDonald to Joe Dante. A wasted youth spent in wood-panelled basements watching sword-and-sandal flicks throughout the ‘80s, the video age corresponded with coming-of-age. For better or worse, everything learned about life was rented on VHS or Beta for $1.99.

Carolina Lucchesi Lavoie

SHORT-FILM SCHOLAR

Upon her arrival in Montreal, Carolina Lucchesi Lavoie was immediately fascinated by the Kino group and worked for them as an assistant coordinator. Her love of short films, from early works to recent releases, influenced her to pursue graduate studies during which she focused her research on the lack of archives for short films shot digitally in Québec. Since 2006, she works for GRAFICS, the advent and formation of cinematic and scenic institutions research group, at the Université de Montréal. She has also programmed two silent films screenings at the Cinémathèque Québécoise and is a regular of the Fantasia Film Festival. She has a brief cameo in the feature film SANS DESSEIN, which premiered during the 2009 edition of Fantasia.

Jean-François Rauger

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING, CINÉMATHÈQUE FRANÇAISE

Born on June 4,1959, in Strasbourg, Jean-François Rauger worked as a researcher from 1984 till 1988 for the National Cinematography Center. In 1992, he started working for the Cinémathèque Française where he was in charge of the film inventory for six months before becoming director of programming. In addition to being a frequent contributor to the newspaper Le Monde, he has also written for La Revue du Cinéma Image et Son and Les Cahiers du Cinéma. He was part of the editorial committee for La Revue Cinéma (Léo Scheer Editions) until 2007, lecturer at the Paris III university from 1989 to 1993, and contributed to the documentary about the history of erotic cinema, UN SIÈCLE DE PLAISIR. Many of his writings have also been published in different magazine and publications devoted to cinema, including Simulacres, Panic, Mad Movies and Art Press.